


A New Year with New Things

by cloudsinmycoffee9



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-08-29 08:08:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8481931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudsinmycoffee9/pseuds/cloudsinmycoffee9
Summary: Modern AU of ASOIAF - coffee shopHow would it all go down if Ned met Catelyn in a coffee shop in their collegeish years?Author's note: While I plan on having quite a few characters with their canon personality traits and family relationships here, I can't guarantee that I won't take artistic license in how they factor into the plotline I have running through my head.





	1. Chapter 1

The warmth of the coffee shop was a welcome reprieve from the pelting rain outside as Ned stomped his feet on the welcome mat and smoothed back his hair with his fingers. He could feel the droplets of rain clinging to his beard and eyebrows as he hung up his coat on the rack by the door. Most people might have been annoyed that they’d forgotten an umbrella, but Ned had never minded what most people thought of as bad weather. Even the dry cold of Vale Uni, way up in the mountains never bothered him. It had actually felt nice to get out of the car and clear his head in the cold wet of the outside after such a ride.

The windy drive to get down to Kings College had been crazier than usual, as he’d foolishly agreed to let Robert drive them down. The speeds his friend had reached saw Ned’s feet pushing imaginary brake pedals to the floor nearly the entire time. It was a miracle that Rob had managed to get them here in one piece while drumming on the wheel to the extremely loud music he was playing as he narrated his latest bedroom escapades.

Ned shook his head again, looking behind him out the door of the cafe where Robert was waiting in the car to turn right at the light and head to the store. He’d promised to be back soon to meet Ned again at the shop where his brother had asked him to pick him up before they headed out to the cabin for the weekend. Despite Brandon’s reputation, and the experiences they’d shared partying with his older brother, Robert still felt that he needed to pick up extra supplies to make sure they had a good time up at the cabin. 

“C’mon, Ned,” he’d argued. “The worst thing would be to run out of booze for New Year’s Eve, up there in the snow, with nothing to do! I just want to make sure we’re well stocked. Do my part. Since I haven’t exactly run my guest list by your brother and all . . . figure it should come with a liquid token of goodwill.“

Ned sighed internally, remembering that confession Robert had dropped on him just a few minutes before pulling up to the coffee shop. He didn’t think Brandon would mind - a few more girls down to party for a long weekend in the snow? Not a problem. But Ned had a sneaking suspicion about who might be on that invite list, and it could honestly only mean trouble . . . Robert and Brandon nearly always got along, but they were similar in a lot of ways, and could be competitive about many things. Namely drinking and girls. 

“Can I help you?” 

The bluest eyes Ned had ever seen came into focus in front of him. He tore his gaze away from the long lashes that framed them to glance down at a quizzical smile formed by beautiful pair of bubblegum pink lips. He took in a sharp breath and managed “I beg your pardon?”

She laughed at that, a hand on her hip and her head cocked to the side. The freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks he noticed next, and suddenly realized how much he liked freckles.

“You’ve been standing there for a few minutes, and I don’t recognize you. Sometimes new people don’t know where to go and place their order. I thought I’d lend a hand.”

“Uh . . . yeah. Yeah, I haven’t been here before. I’m meeting someone.”

“No problem,” she smiled again. “You look like you could use something to warm you up. You order at the counter over here - “ she motioned with her hand towards the busy counter of the store, “and then we get you a number and bring it to your table. Sit wherever you want.”

“Thanks.” 

“No problem. Let me know if you need help picking out something to eat from the sweets - I’m a little biased, because I made some of them, but I could probably still offer an honest suggestion.” 

She stood in front of him for a moment, expecting an answer, but he said nothing. He only saw the shiny auburn color of her hair and the tendrils that had escaped the braid over her shoulder to curl towards her chin. She swept them behind her ear unconsciously just now, and as her hand dropped, he noticed her nametag.

“Okay, well let me know if you need any help,” the girl he now knew to be named Catelyn responded to his non-answer, just as cheerful as she’d been all along.

He cursed himself as she turned back to the table she had been bussing nearby. It would have been easy enough to take her up on the offer. He often found himself a little tongue tied around women; both Robert and Brandon teased him endlessly about it. But neither of them were here now to witness either his success or what he was sure would be his failure to address this woman. He knew he had nothing to gain by talking to her - once Brandon and then Robert showed up, they’d be heading up to the cabin. But he had nothing to lose, either, and the holiday season did have him feeling braver than he usually did . . . and something about this girl in particular made him want to find the words to say.


	2. Chapter 2

Propelled by forces unknown, he walked past where she was wiping down a table, and caught her eye as she finished where she was and then walked towards the dirty one he had chosen to sit down at.

 “Come here often?” he attempted to quip, hating himself as he said something so cliche, but unable to produce anything else on the spot that he had put himself on.

Luckily, she laughed. She reached over the table he sat at to rearrange the shakers at the far end.

“Oh, you know, only four or five days a week.”

“Hey, me too.”

She laughed again. “No, you don’t, or I would know you. Especially now. I’m in school but I’ve been working more hours for the winter break.” She sprayed the squeegee bottle to the far sides of the table before she continued wiping it down.

“You didn’t go home for the holidays? Or is this home?” he asked, hoping if that was too personal a question.

Catelyn shook her head. “No . . . home is actually just too far away. I managed to get there for the Thanksgiving break. But I spent Christmas with some other friends who weren’t able to make it to their hometowns. We called it ‘Orphan Christmas.’” She smiled brightly at that and he knew there were stories behind it. “It was the first time I’ve ever missed a major holiday, but I only have a few days off work, and my dad didn’t want me to make the drive all alone again after Thanksgiving.”

“I’m sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t get Christmas at home, either. I’m up at Vale University and we got some pretty heavy snows.”

“Part of the whole ‘growing up’ bargain, I guess, figuring out holidays on your own,” she offered.

He shrugged agreeably as an answer, and then watched her long fingers guide the rag as it cleaned up the recently occupied table he had sat at. She gathered the crumbs of the previous customers into her spare hand with a practiced ease and slipped them into the trash can behind her.

“Do you like working here?” he threw out into the air, realizing that if he didn’t keep speaking to her, she had plenty of reason to walk away. He realized at this same moment that he really didn’t want her to.

She paused before answering, smiling as she spoke. “I do, actually . . . my coworkers have become like a family, and maybe it’s lame but there is something so wonderfully mindless about it. I like meeting people and being busy and feeling helpful. And I get to sell a few baked goods on the side, so it works out.” She stood in front of his table, and he felt the heat of her gaze travel over his face as if she were trying figure something out. Before he could puzzle what this might be, her voice cut through his thoughts. “Anyway, you’re supposed to order up there, but can I get you anything to drink?” she asked. “Should I set two places, or . . .” her voice trailed off and he looked down at his lap, trying to decide on the right turn of phrase.

“My brother should be here soon, and another friend of ours, too. So whatever is convenient for you. Spoiler alert - they eat a lot,” he divulged, eyes wide in fake conspiracy.

“I see . . . “ she answered, pretending to take in depth notes on her notepad.

He chuckled at her response. “No, really. I’m sure we will just grab some snacks and then go. I’m not sure why my brother wanted us to meet here in the first place. We’re headed up to our cabin for New Year’s Eve. Knowing him, I'm sure he's in a hurry to get the party started."

“Oh, cool! I’m actually headed up to a cabin with a few people for New Year’s, too. How funny would it be if we were in the same neighborhood? We should exchange numbers and maybe we can all hang out. Wait - what was your name?”

He was trying to keep his grin from spreading too wildly, reaching for his phone to plug in her digits and just about to answer her when -

“NED! Stand the fuck up and give me a fucking holiday hug!”

His brother’s voice was both welcomed and unwelcomed in that moment. Ned looked over Catelyn’s shoulder and saw Brandon headed towards him with arms outstretched, Robert following closely behind with a huge grin on his face.

Ned couldn’t help feeling a childish joy rising up inside at the sight of his older brother. Despite the casual way he had talked about it just now with this coffee shop waitress, and in the previous weeks in Whatsapp conversations with his brothers and sister, it had affected him more than he cared to admit to not have made it home for Christmas this year. Holidays were difficult every year since the passing of this mother, but lately even more so, as Lyanna and BenJen grew increasingly independent of their father while still living at home. Ned felt especially afraid of Lyanna’s words and actions, and what untold consequences might come from them. Whether she knew it or not, she was a source of constant worry for him and BenJen. The late nights, the questionable choices, the risky behavior . . . despite being miles and miles away, knowing his father to be as emotionally unavailable as he was since the death of their mother, Ned couldn’t help but feel somehow responsible for Lyanna, for BenJen . . . hell, he even felt responsible for cleaning up Brandon’s messes most days. As fun as that was.

But at the moment, all he could see and feel was the same old camaraderie and sibling rivalry between he and Brandon. He stood up from the seat and bear hugged his older brother, mindless of the raindrops that had soaked Brandon through. They held each other for a moment before parting, sizing each other up and down as brothers do.

“You’ve been inside too much up in that ice castle, Ned,” Brandon teased. “You’re pale and fat and I could kick your ass in thirty seconds.” He punched him lightly on the shoulder.

“And I didn’t know the ‘Freshman 15’ also applied to each year of grad school, Brandon . . . and what the hell is growing on your chin?”

“You're just jealous because I look so fucking distinguished,“ Brandon said, suddenly slinging an arm around Catelyn, who had been standing watching the exchange with a look of bemused surprise. “But at least I never have to be jealous of your non-existent skills with the ladies as I just witnessed the last few minutes of you trying to hit on this lovely piece of ass - ”

“BRANDON!” Ned nearly yelled, reaching out an arm towards his brother do he wasn’t sure what, suddenly concerned for the girl he’d only just met. But then she smiled directly at his brother, and let him kiss her full upon the mouth. “What the - “

“ - which happens to belong to me.” Brandon pulled back from Catelyn and smirked at his little brother who was feeling appalled at Brandon’s behavior and also embarrassed for Catelyn, who had turned bright pink. “I see you somehow managed to meet my girlfriend before I could even introduce you and say that this, dear little brother, is my girlfriend. Ned. I'd like you to meet Catelyn.”


	3. Chapter 3

After getting over the initial shock of realizing that the stranger she’d been chatting with was actually the brother she’d heard so much about from her boyfriend, Catelyn still couldn’t decide. Was she embarrassed by Brandon’s over the top display of affection? She rather hated that he always seemed to feel a need to mark his territory, so to speak, whenever they were in public. They’d been dating for nearly six months, and there was a constant battle in her head over his whether or not his antics in public should be cause for concern.

But she decided that she could chalk it up to the excitement of seeing his brother who he’d missed at Christmas, and the anticipation they all felt for a fun-filled weekend ahead at their family cabin for New Year’s Eve. The spontaneous, crazy side of Brandon could balance the parts of her that were more reserved and calculated, she often thought. Opposites attract, isn’t that what everyone always said? And there were times when she was with Brandon, on another one of his spur of the moment adventures, or grand romantic gesture, that she felt a kind of heady lightness she realized she hadn’t felt in years. Not since the death of her mother when she was in the seventh grade.

However, at the moment, she was very sure she was embarrassed of Brandon.  

After getting through the first few awkward moments of the formal introductions between her and Ned, and then her and Robert, the boys had sat at the booth Ned had been occupying and waited for Catelyn’s shift to finish. While it was known mostly for being a coffee shop, the cafe also sold local wine and beer, and Brandon had taken it upon himself to make sure that Robert and Ned were introduced to a few of his favorite brews.

Which would have been fine, except Brandon was supposed to be driving them up to the cabin. Sober, of course. And when Catelyn had cashed out (grinning at the nice tips left by some of her regulars, and a particularly generous one left on a certain Eddard Stark’s credit card receipt), checked out with her manager, and finally untied her apron strings, she’d walked up to find Ned trying unsuccessfully to keep their noise level down, as Brandon and Robert were loudly indulging in a story that she could only guess by the panicky look on Ned’s face to be something she probably didn’t want to hear.

He’d belatedly noticed her standing at the edge of their table, quietly fuming, and made the tiniest bit of room for her at the booth so that she was forced to sit mostly in his lap.

“Brandon,” she’d hissed into his ear, making eye contact with Ned across the table, who looked very apologetic. “I’ve been working all day, you know I’ve been working like crazy, and I finally get off and find you like this? You said you would drive us to the cabin, because I would be just getting off work, and now you look and smell like you’re about to pass out!”

“Sorry, babe,” Brandon had slurred back with a squeeze to her behind. “Robert and I actually had a wee nip of the good stuff in the parking garage before we came in, which I had forgotten about, and it seems all this quality KL brew has caught up with even the best of us - ”

 “Me!” Robert chimed in abruptly. “He’s talking about me. I’m the best.” 

Catelyn rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. She turned to look at her boyfriend directly in his eye. She had to place a hand on his cheek to guide his concentration back to her. “Brandon - I know you’re excited to be with your brother and friends this weekend, and you’re ready to get the party started. But I am, too, and I worked extra shifts and switched things around so we could spend New Years together. Are you saying now we have to spend the night here so you can sleep this off?” 

“Wait - no -” Ned interrupted from across the table. “Look, they’re wasted, but with some fresh air, I’ll be more than okay to navigate, if you think you can do the driving bit.”

Catelyn cocked her head to the side and eyed him quizzically. “Ned, something tells me that although you started later and threw down less than our fine friends here, you don’t handle your booze nearly as well.”

“By ‘something’ do you mean Brandon and his shitty older brother stories?”

“Hey!” Brandon interjected. “My stories kick ass.” She turned back to eye her boyfriend and was rewarded with a toothy grin. Yep. Drunk. Why was he always so drunk?

“Look,” Ned spoke as he leaned across the table towards her to get her attention, “the three of us haven’t been together in a while, and we had more than we should have. I should have stopped them. But the car is packed, it’s only two hours’ drive, and if you let me have the window down I have easily help you get us there.” 

She turned back and met Ned’s eyes and started with the difference between the brother’s gazes. Brandon’s dark brown eyes had looked at her with an unfocused lusty haze to them, tainted by the drink she was able to calculate he’d had based on the contents on the table, and then just guessing at what had transpired in the parking lot before he’d walked in with Robert. But Ned’s eyes were a dark grey, and in them she saw regret for their actions, guilt at having to ask her to drive them to the cabin after working a long shift, and over that, concern for her so palpable she felt herself smiling at him.

 

 

 

“Coldplay?” he asked, curiosity evident.

“Reminds me of home,” she answered, smiling briefly at him. “The music just sounds like a day on the water sometimes.”

With the window down and the CD blaring, Catelyn hummed and sang along happily. She turned to eye her so-called navigator, and found him looking out at the horizon, his hand carving through the wind to the rhythm of the songs playing.

“Didn’t you just question me for my song selection, Ned? And now you’re nearly dancing to it,” she teased.

HIs hand fell against the car with a clumsy thud. “Was not.”

“Um...you definitely were,” she fought back.

“Ned doesn’t even like music,” Robert’s voice floated through from the back of the car. “He only listens to NPR and books on tape about fucking historical dudes and shit like that.”

Catelyn and Ned both took their eyes off the road for a second to look back at the Robert sprawled out over the backseat of the car, his eyes at half-mast as he leaned up against Brandon’s shoulder. Brandon was passed out and supported by the window. They met each other’s eyes as they turned back, and she grinned to see on his face the same look of amusement she knew she was displayed on hers.

Ned shrugged at her, and she sensed that he wanted to explain himself. “I like music. Classic rock kind of stuff. But I do mostly just listen to news when I’m in the car. Gotta stay on top of what’s going on in the world,” he said.

“But you’re on break from school right now, right?” she asked.

“Yup."

“So. Pick something. Keep me awake while I drive this never-ending drive.”

“Oh,” he snuck a sideways glance at her that she barely caught as she tried to keep her eyes on the road. She liked teasing him, she realised. “What if you don’t like it?”

Catelyn laughed out loud, mindless of the two passed out drunks in the backseat. “I just asked you to pick! I am prepared to conscientiously object, but I will allow four minutes of a song of your choice, Ned.”

She kept her smile to herself as Ned pressed at the buttons on the dashboard to try and find a suitable station. He stopped, head cocked to the side to take in the lyrics and be sure of his choice.

The words floated in between them as Catelyn drove on, and they both barely whispered along, still too shy to really sing out loud in front of each other:

 

Push in and I pull it away  
It's a hard part but the true love way  
Girl you're wanted like a wanted man  
With your smart mouth and your killer hands  
We could both share all that I have made  
For a young man it's a heck of a wage  
And I feel crazy when I see your face

 

Cause we'd be so free  
Happy alone  
Sharing a smile  
So far from home  
And we would laugh  
Laugh till we cry  
Making a song  
Making me lie

 

“I Iike Kings of Leon, too,” she offered. “I took my sister to their concert, one of their first tours. We made t-shirts and everything. She was obsessed.”

“I don’t listen to them a lot, but I do like this song. The drunk in the back is kinda right - I mostly listen to NPR and podcasts.”

Catelyn turned to offer him a smile. “That’s cool. Is it for what you’re studying or what?”

And so the next hour passed, Catelyn gently prodding Ned to answer her questions about his major, his life at Vale, his friendship with Rob. She could tell he was a little buzzed, but not nearly as bad as his brother and best friend passed out in the backseat behind them. The window was down enough to give him fresh air while she pumped heat on her feet, and they occasionally grappled over the radio station every few minutes or so, but the rest of the drive was spent pleasantly exchanging stories, likes and dislikes.

She was surprised at how easy it was to talk to Ned. He thought longer about his responses than Brandon did - Brandon was always acting on instinct and quick with a comeback or witty remark, and she often felt like he wasn’t actually hearing what she said when she spoke, but that he was just waiting his turn to tell whatever story he’d thought of in the moment. Brandon was also often apologizing after something he said, laughing off her reaction no matter what. But Ned was different - he asked thoughtful questions and answered her questions just as thoughtfully.

They pulled off the highway about 20 miles before the road exit that would lead them to the cabin, according to Ned. It didn’t look like too much snow on the ground to Catelyn, but Ned had insisted they stop and put on the chains. Sure enough, just after she’d conceded, they’d both seen the signs that required they pull over. She’d rolled her eyes at his “See? See?!?” and shifted the car as slowly as possibly over to the shoulder of the highway.

After he’d stepped out into the windy snowflakes, grabbed the gear out of the back and secured the chains, Catelyn pretended not to notice when Ned stumbled slightly as he walked towards a friendly crop of trees to relieve himself.

He walked back towards the car and tapped on her window, which she obligingly rolled down. “Yes?” she asked.

“Well, I think I can take it from here. We’re nearly there and I have felt more than sober for a while now.”

“That’s nice, Ned, but we’re this close. I can manage.”

“Catelyn,” he sighed and looked into the backseat before continuing. “Look, I feel bad, and you’ve been working all day thinking you wouldn’t have to drive, and then Brandon - “

“Ned, it’s okay! I promise,” she argued back, shaking her head. “Besides, you might feel okay, but I’m the only one in the car who definitely hasn’t been drinking. We’re not going to take that chance. Just get in the front seat and help me with the directions? Please?”

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

He couldn’t decide how he felt about her decision to keep on driving. At the cafe, he knew she was annoyed with Brandon about being basically forced into driving them to the cabin. He’d been mad at his brother in the moment, but with Robert and Brandon slowly passing out in the back of the car, the easy conversation with Catelyn as he navigated their road trip to the family cabin, all the irritation had passed away.

After the chains, he’d really wanted to drive. She wasn’t from snow country, he could tell. And he also knew he was a very safe driver. But deep down he’d realized that she was right - he was still tipsy enough to have slow reaction time. So he’d fumbled his way back into the passenger seat, determined to be a great navigator to their family cabin.

This determination, however, was compromised by the fact that if he wasn’t driving, he got to sneak looks at the driver. He could look at her hair, long and wavy and begging for his hands to run through it. He could look at the freckles that sprinkled over her arms and her hands that drummed against the steering wheel. He could sneak a glance at the quirk in her smile before she gave herself fully into whatever lame joke he was trying to pull off. He could see the contrast of her dark eyelashes against her skin. And when she hit a patch of ice and the car slid against it for a moment, the feeling of his hand landing on her shoulder to reassure her and to steady her movements stayed with him long after he lifted it back and settled it safely into his own lap.

_She’s your brother’s girl, Ned. Knock it off._

The voices in his head often made a lot of sense. And he mostly always followed them. Actually, it was rare when he didn’t follow them. Because the voices in his head were usually those of his father and his almost uncle, Jon. And those were not men or voices to argue with. Unfortunately, a lot of craft brews from the area around Kings Uni were making it hard to hear those voices and even harder to pay them any mind.

But it wasn’t just the few beers he’d consumed in the time she’d left them at the table to wrap up her shift and then come back - there hadn’t been nearly enough time for him to come to terms with the fact that the beautiful woman he’d been gathering the courage to flirt with was actually the same girl his brother had been alluding to in the random text messages he’d sent about this weekend.

_Fucking Brandon. Brandon always fucking wins._

 He shook his head against the thoughts brewing there. He had no reason to hold a grudge against his brother for dating yet another beautiful girl who Ned found himself attracted to, found himself wanting to take care of, found himself wanting to talk to more than he already was.

“ . . . so I think my dad probably wants us and needs us to keep on, you know, just going with what he’s lined up. And that’s cool. I like it. It’s hard, and if you want to do a good job, you have to listen to NPR and read boring books and all that stuff Robert was saying but . . . in the end, it matters if I am prepared. So I want to be prepared. I know it’s not the most interesting thing in the world, but . . . ” Ned shrugged at the end of his explanation and turned to look at the driver, who he was surprised to see looking at him.

 “That is cool, Ned. It’s good to be prepared.” She nodded encouragingly at him before turning her attention back to the road, now powdered with snow. He could see that the plows had been through the roads already, as there was two feet of snow banked up on the shoulders of the road.

“And?” he asked, shifting in the front seat so the wind from the open window blew across his forehead. No matter how many times he counted the number of drinks he was sure they ordered, he still felt like he was a little too under the influence. Something about the surrounding circumstances was making him feel a bit loose and hazy. And he was pretty sure he was talking too much but he couldn't help it. 

She giggled, downshifting as the snow fell deeper on the road. He noted the slight blush to her cheeks, but she kept her eyes on the road as she asked - “And what, Ned?”

 He shifted in his seat, looking over her. She was biting her lip as she concentrated on the road ahead of her. And he suddenly felt worse than he had before that this poor girl had to drive them through a snowstorm after a long shift at work to get to their family cabin. Hell, she’d never even been there before.

 “And . . . and why are you so nice?” he managed.

 “Um . . .” she giggled again and shrugged her shoulders in a way he found he wanted to describe as ‘really cute.’ Ned could not remember the last time he had used the word ‘cute.’ “Well, thanks, Ned, but I don’t think I’m particularly nice. And it’s not hard to be nice to you, either. You’re easy to talk to.”

“Really?” Ned blurted out, and immediately regretted it. “I mean, um, you need to take the next right and then follow the road until the sign for ‘Last Hearth.’ He shifted toward the window to avoid any look she might have thrown his way.

Every girl Robert or Brandon had ever coerced into talking to him at a party had always thought he was boring or cold-faced. They’d attempt conversation for a while to please Brandon or Robert, who’d be looking on at the whole awkward encounter, usually with a beer in their hand and their arm around some girl, and a shit-eating grin on their face. “Tell her that one time we –“ they’d offer, in an attempt to be encouraging. But the stories they would suggest would always somehow have the one of them in the role of ‘cool guy’ and Ned in the role of ‘buzzkill’ or babysitter.

And Ned would try and start, he’d try to entertain and to please the unwitting victim of brother or friend who’d been duped into the encounter. He’d ignore the catcalls and the frat-boy suggestions as long as he could, and try to learn her name and strike up a conversation.

But eventually Robert or Brandon would get impatient and take over the story-telling, and Ned would sit back on the couch, sip his beer, and wish he knew how to be a little less reserved and a little more irresponsible sometimes. And eventually the girl would smile, say she needed the bathroom, get up and leave his side and move on to where someone was doing keg stands or playing King’s Cup or generally being more entertaining and less unsure of himself than Ned was. And eventually Ned would help pick up a few red cups, corral any lingering party-goers in an Uber, usher Robert or Brandon or both of them and their girls of the moment out the door safely, and head home.

But Catelyn was different – she was as easy to talk to as she claimed he was. And for some reason, he believed her.

“Really, Ned. You’re not what I thought you’d be. Not at all what – “

He turned just in time to see her bite her lip. Damn. There it was again. The urge to call something ‘cute.’ Except now he also wanted to say ‘sexy.’ Ned - fucking stop, he warned himself.

“What Brandon said I was like?” he supplied for her to fill the embarrassed space left by her hanging explanation.

She blushed a little. “Well, you know Brandon. I have to take everything he says with a grain of salt. I mean, it’s not like he ever said anything bad about you! Oh, I don’t want you to think that’s what I meant!” she looked over her shoulder anxiously as she whispered the last bit, but Robert and Brandon were still somehow passed out, all arms and legs tucked drunkenly in the small backseat. “He loves you, he always talks about how you’ve always had his back. Makes me a little worried sometimes about why he would always need someone to have his back . . .” she forced a chuckle but then waved it away. “I’m messing this all up – it’s the first time we’re ever meeting, and you probably just want to sleep, too. I’m sorry, Ned.”

“No, don’t apologize. It would be insane for you to drive this alone. And you need to take the next right -” he watched her ease her hands carefully around the wheel, coming back to ten and two as she guided the car down the lane that led to their winter cabin. “Brandon shouldn’t have drank so much. He can be a real assho – “ Ned cut himself off, looking at the girlfriend of the brother he was about to disparage. “He sucks at judgment sometimes.”

 Ned could hear the distant rumblings of a slowly waking Brandon and Robert behind them in the backseat as the crunching of snow under tires grew louder.

Catelyn grinned. “But he’s fun, too. Full of life. I really like your brother.”

“Hey, now,” Ned added, speaking more loudly than necessary. “I like Brandon, too. So much so, that I think he should be awake when we roll into the driveway of our family cabin . . .” He let the tone of mischief linger in the air, and then grinned a mad grin at Catelyn, who was slowing down to read the family crest signs as they crawled down the snowy lane. When she turned and looked at him in the pause he’d made in the conversation, he reached under his seat to lift the release and used all his might to shove the passenger side seat back as far as it could go, jolting his brother awake.

“NED. Fuck.” Brandon sat up immediately, massaging his legs and shoving Robert in the process. Robert shook wildly at the sudden alarm. “The hell?” he asked, but Brandon just punched him good-naturedly before wrapping his arms around Ned from the backseat in a mock strangle. “You better fucking like me, brother,” Brandon growled. “Because I am about to lead us into one helluva weekend.”

“The wolf awakes…” Ned squeaked, his breathing compromised by Brandon’s grip.

“Oh! Brandon! You didn’t tell me it was so cute!” Catelyn clapped her hands to her chest for a moment as the car inched forward on the road. The city didn’t come out this far to help with the snow, and Ned was already excited to get out to shovel some of it out of the way. He knew his blood would be pumping this weekend and that would be a great way to let off some steam.

“God, Cattie, you say that word toooooo much. Eeeeeverything is cuuuuuuute to you,” Brandon teased from the back. He moved to tussle her hair, but his arm was weighted with all the beers he’d had to drink, and it moved awkwardly, falling hard from her head to her shoulder. Ned watched her wince slightly in what was maybe a little bit of pain, and then she shrugged Brandon’s hand off her shoulder. She kept her eyes on the road, but Ned saw the slight shake and sharp intake of breath at his brother’s actions.

Ned moved his seat up again on the passenger side, and heard Brandon readjust to more space in the back. Then he looked slyly back at Catelyn. He watched her take in the white lights hanging from the cabins, the pine cones dotting the driveways, the smoke rising from the chimneys.

“This must be it!” she said excitedly. Ned turned to see her rolling the steering wheel towards the mail post. A sign might have swung from it, but in the cold, it stood stock still. “STARK” was all it read.

“But all the cars in the driveway?” she asked, setting the car in park. “I only thought that Lysa -”

Robert was groggily taking in the scene from the back seat and started identifying cars. “There’s Cersei’s car. Fuck. Jaimie. I can see him on the porch. That guy is so . . . so . . . so fucking - ” 

“Oh my God! Lysa beat me here!” Catelyn laughed, pulling on her scarf and mittens before she tried for the door.

Ned eyed the station wagon where he saw the bundled up figure Catelyn was motioning to. For no reason he could decipher, he suddenly felt a bit worried about the other people on the property they were expected to spend a weekend with. “She’s not alone, Catelyn, who was she supposed to come with -” he was cut off by Robert.

“Ashara! Is that Ashara? Shiiiiiiiiiiit this is gonna be a weekend,” he bellowed. Ned whipped his head around to look at him.

“Ashara - is - here?!” he gritted out towards the back seat, his voice like steel. “Is that a good idea?!

“Dude, her cabin is being weatherized, I said she could crash with us. What’s the problem?” Brandon challenged, pulling his shoes back on and cracking open the door. “Lighten up, Ned. It’s going to be the kind of weekend that you only ever dreamed about.” 

Before he could process all the implications of that statement, his door was opened, and a small hand was extended from outside to help him out of the car.

 “Ah, you must be Eddard Stark,” a high, thin voice nearly whistled in the cold air swirling around them as Ned pulled himself out of the vehicle. “I’m Petyr. Petyr Littlefinger. So glad to make your acquaintance.”


End file.
